Persistent Lord of the Rings (PLotR) mod for Mount & Blade: Warband

PLotR 2.0 introduces three completely new gametypes. After creating your new character or choosing the previous one, opportunity to join one of the servers arises. Each of them offers you a different part of Middle Earth. Most of the servers offer you PLotR 2.0 vanilla gametype. What does it mean?

PLotR 2.0 vanilla game type is a simple MMORPG. You can travel through the huge open world, which contains independent NPCs, enemies and a levelling system.

As you get into the game further, the way you progress becomes more complex. PLotR introduces new stories into the Middle Earth world, some of them are basing on the characters you already know and some of them are completely new.

PLotR introduces a new invasion gametype on PLotR_Official_6 and PLotR_Official_53. Both servers offer you a possibility to defend well known locations against the waves of evil forces with unique rewards available only there. One can also get some more reputation and quest items that way.

The other game type is combined PLotR and PW. Basically, it means that it is typical PW gameplay with some things from PLotR. It is available ONLY on PLotR_Official_19.

PLotR 2.0 offers you more than 50 servers to choose from. It means that currently there are more than 30 maps. If you are confused about it, here is a little help.

1. Minas Tirith – friendly map, the biggest city in Gondor
2. Osgiliath – destroyed constantly attacked by the orcs from Eastern Osgiliath
3. Dol Amroth – the great city of Gondor, ruled by Prince Imrahil
4. Cair Andros – fortress defending crossing on Anduin river
5. Pelargir – home of Gondor’s navy

6. Henneth Annun – hidden refuge of the Ranges of Ithilien with a small camp outside in the wilds
7. Helms Deep – fortified gorge in the White Mountains, lays near Westfold
8. East Emnet – land of Rohan east of the River Entwash
9. WoodsmanVillage – village founded by Woodsmen in Mirkwood
10. Beorns House – lays just west of Mirkwood
11. Esgaroth – small settlement of Men in the northern part of the Long Lake
12. Dale – great city situated near the Lonely Mountain
13. Lonely Mountain – mountain in northern Rhovanion and the great Dwarven city within it
14. Bree – a settlement of men in Eriador
15. Shire – homeland of the majority of the hobbits
16. Rivendell – Elven town and the house of Elrond
17. Caras Galadhon – the chief city of Lothlórien, at the center of the whole woodland
18. Edhellond – Gondor’s harbour located near Dol Amroth
19. Rohan – map dedicated for PLotR & PW gameplay type
20. Amon Hen – a map recently taken by unknown faction, close to the old borders of Gondor
21. Morannon – the most fortified and direct entrance into Sauron’s realm
22. Minas Morgul – the twin ciy of Minas Tirith. Remains under the control of Witch King
23. Umbar Camp – the camp fortified by corsairs of Umbar
24. Isengard – was one of the three major fortresses of Gondor. Controlled by Saruman
25. Troll Cave – the cave north of Azanulbizar
26. Dol Guldur – Sauron’s stronghold and base of operations while hiding as “The Necromancer”
27. Mirkwood – a great forest located in the eastern region of Rhovanion
28. Khand Camp – the camp fortified by Evil Men nearby Morannon
29. Moria – was underground kingdom beneath the Misty Mountains. Ancient Dwarven realm
30. Goblin Town – a Goblin dwelling in the Misty Mountains, north of Troll Cave
31. Isengard Caves – a dwelling under Isengard

32. Azanulbizar – Dimrill Dale, valley below the Great Gates of Moria, east side of Misty Mountains
33. Westfold – region of Rohan, was east to the Gap of Rohan
34. Carn Dum – the old fortress that once belonged to the Witch King of Angmar. Far north
35. Rhun Camp – a small camp located south-east from the Esgaroth, a ship is required
36. Gundabad – ancient town of the longbeards. Currently occupied by evil forces
37. Harad Camp – a camp located in South Harondor, a ship is required to get there
38. Dwarven Pass – a mountain pass partly ruled by the Dwarves from Erebor, partly occupied by the goblins from Gundabad
39. Amon Sul – the old way east from Bree to Imladris along with the Weathertop and other remaining ruins from the times of Kingdom of Arnor
40. Cirith Ungol – the pass leading from the Morgul Vale. A tower guarded by the orcs and a system of caves yet to be explored
41. Mordor Wasteland – a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust
42. Mordor Morgai – a mountain ridge leading north
43. Durthang – an old castle in the northern Mordor, above the valley of Udun near Isenmouthe
44. Isenmouthe – a heavily fortified passage from Gorgoroth to Udun. Forts and towers.
45. Cirith Gorgor – haunted pass between the Black Gate and Isenmouthe.
46. Dunland & Tharbad – Ruined city of Arnor and a ford at the river Gwaltho. A fort of Dunledings east from the river and part of Ost-in-Edhil ruins further in the north-east direction.
47. Fornost – used to be the second capital of Arnor. Now destroyed and occupied by strange powers
48. Caradhras – one of the mightiest peaks in the Misty Mountains. One can try passing through the Redhorn Gate to the other side, but it is both dangerous and complex
49. Fangorn – a deep, dark woodland that grows beneath the souther Misty Mountains
50. Fords of Farunen – a northern border of Rhun, heavily guarded and fortified.
51. Northern Desert – a desert located in northern parts of Rhun with the main road that leads to the capital. The area nearby once belonged to Khamul.
52. Annuminas – former capital of the North Kingdom, the city of kings. Now destroyed and under control of unknown forces observed by the rangers.

53. Helms Deep under invasion

Each server has its purpose. Some of them consist of friendly NPCs, some have all sort of surprises and some are occupied by evil.

It is advised to start in the Shire (PLotR_Official_15) so that you can get into the mechanics and learn everything step by step in peaceful environment. You can start anywhere else as well, as long as it is a friendly map.
It is NOT recommended to start on enemy maps as you have no combat class when you start and cannot do much, unless you are carried by a group of friends.
It is also recommended to add all official servers to your favorites in order for the game to find them much faster when you travel later on.

Gameplay in PLotR 2.0 bases on development trees. Imagine levelling up your character im MMO games. It works in the same way here. When you choose your class in the development tree, you have to pay for it. How to earn money? There are many ways. Some of them are already known for many players who played Persistent World previously. For those who didn’t, here is an explanation: you can earn money simply by cutting trees or going to mine with your pickaxe. Once you have some resources from either of those ways, you can go the closest city and sell it in the stockpile. Of course, there are many more possibilities than just cutting trees or visiting mines, but both these are really simple.

Regarding more advanced things and details, I suggest visiting this page: Steamcommunity.com

Now you know how to earn money in the old, PW ways. Remember it is possible only on certain maps. On most of them, mainly the ones basing on PLotR 2.0 vanilla gameplay type, it is completely different.

Coming back to choosing your class. PLotR 2.0 classes are different than those from PW. They are way more expensive, but once you have choose one of them, the default equipment stays with you even after you die in game.

Every faction offers you completely different development tree. If you want to know more about specific ones, visit these links: Moddb.com
Moddb.com

Your characters strength is a deadly important factor. Most items require certain level of strength and you will not be able to use them efficiently unless you fulfil the requirement.
The development trees mentioned above do not include high tiers of course. Some classes are hidden or can only be obtained in the storylines or in the invasion gametype. A class is permanent unless you decide to change it, please consider its possible weak sides or eventually ask more experienced players about them!

How to earn money in PLotR 2.0?
The first one is to kill enemy bots. The demanding one bases on quest system. In order to find a quest for yourself, look for the bots with specific names on friendly maps. By talking to them you can learn something useful and gain a quest. Once you finish it, they are going to pay you.
Killing enemy boots seems easy to you, right?

If it is the case, I strongly recommend visiting the dungeons. It is worth doing, as by finishing the dungeon you can gain access to special items hidden in dungeon chests. Some of these items are available only that way.

Some dungeons are specially designed for novice players. If you are unsure where to start, please head to the mines in Bree or Fangorn. Both locations should be good for a T3, T4 and T5 players.

How to leave the current server and save your character?
If you want to change your current map and save your character, look for signposts with “travel” subtitle. Once you get close to that object and see a button suggesting leaving the realm, press F and wait a couple of seconds.

Those are the basics. We shall take a look at certain mechanics further in the guide.

1.Are we gonna be able to play evil factions?

Kael: This one has been answered several times already. It is possible on certain maps and in some storylines.

2.Are we gonna be able to play straight away as a specialist unit as rohirrim heavy cavalry or a ithilien ranger?

Kael: No. You start as a poor peasant, gonna take a lot of time and enemies killed to become a special unit.

3.Is the progression system as PW where you buy a role as infantry, archer etc?

Kael: Quite similar. Development trees are available on PLotRs ModDB page, also mentioned in this guide.

4.How are we gonna move from region/server?

Kael: Its gonna require a basic knowledge of Middle Earths map or at least having one displayed somewhere around. When you are close to the edge of the map, the possibility to travel into another one appears.

5.Are we gonna be able to capture castles as in other Persistent mods?

Kael: Yes. There are two servers dedicated for that. However, it has been decided that PLotR will focus solely on MMO from now on.

6.Does the lotr affects the server behaviour or is it player driven or maybe players that change it by killing important bosses or taking castles for the enemy faction?

Kael: Both player and npcs driven. On certain maps there are only enemy bots with a boss somewhere around.

7.How does the death penalization go?

Kael: Every death means that you lose some of your experience and a part of your equipment.

8.How many maps have you prepared?

Kael: Around 70 total. At the moment it is not possible for me to maintain more than 53 servers, so we have to stick to that.

9.Is there a ring in the mod?

Kael: Aye. It is a unique item that gives you a huge advantage above the other players.

10.Are Lord of the Rings heroes playable?

Kael: No. You can only meet them as NPCs, although hero classes are available from a certain tier.

11.Can I avoid PvP and have only PvE experience in the mod?

Kael: Sure. There is an option for both those who prefer PvE and those who prefer PvP. Also, in some places it is combined.

The mod itself is finished. It is going to be updated with some regularity till I add the very final main questline. If you would like to support PLotR, feel free to join our Discord, subscribe our YouTube channel and track PLotR on ModDB.

Official Trailer:

In the following chapters we are going to focus on some mechanics unique in PLotR. If you prefer a very basic video guide, please refer to:

Useful spreadsheets:
Dungeons description and difficulty from players POV: Docs.google.com

PLotR quests list (created by the community):
Docs.google.com

PLotR detailed classes description: Docs.google.com

This chapter is supposed to explain in a more detailed way how to start – step by step.

First of all, let’s discuss the main principle of Persistent Lord of the Rings – do not be a hero, unless your class name says you are one.
Even though mostly PVE, the mod is not easy and requires either good skill or teamwork. That being said, teamwork is so essential that the other will surely be willing to help you start if you only ask either directly in the game or using Discord. If you are unsure about anything, please do not refrain from asking questions.

When you already find yourself in the game on one of our servers, you can see a yellow text in the left bottom part of your screen. It is a welcome message for new players that encourages you to join the Shire and talk to a tutorial NPC there.
It is not necessary, but worth it as you can easily learn the ropes that way.
When you see the NPCs and the duel option on them – fear not! Whenever you hold F on them, a duel will NOT start. Duels are binded differently than in vanilla and it is supposed to open a dialogue box.

As mentioned on the previous page, a duel mark on NPCs does not mean you challenge them. A dialogue box pops up whenever you press F on them.

You can meet hundreds of NPCs in the game. The ones with names usually have something interesting to say. Sometimes you can start a quest that way, sometimes a whole storyline and sometimes they are simply going to tell you a little secret about the map and the surrounding areas in general.

The unnamed NPCs like citizens can also be asked about the rumours and that kind of stuff. It is recommended that you get to know each area of the faction you intend to join later on.

Most quests are really simple as you only have to bring a certain item to NPCs.
For example, captain Halbarad in Bree wants you to bring him the Nazgul swords. Obviously, a nazgul is not an easy enemy and you will have troubles killing them up to tier 6. However, if you can kill one and bring Halbarad one of their swords, he rewards you greatly by giving you some gold and reputation for Gondor.

There are 5 main factions with reputation system:
Faction 1 – Kingdom Gondor and Arnor
Faction 2 – Kingdom of Rohan
Faction 3 – High Elves
Faction 4 – Mirkwood Elves
Faction 5 – Dwarves and Dale

Besides the reputation you can gain for above factions, there is also additional one called heroes reputation. It is splitted between all factions and required for high tier classes above T7.

Ah, the well-known inn at the Prancing Pony and its keeper Barliman Butterbur!
A talkative one, he can surely tell you lot about the other travellers and strange things happening these days. Bree-land is also looking for some new workers, as a reward for their service some are later sent to the militia captain for a little training so that they can defend themselves while working in the nearby mines, lately filled by some goblins in the deeper parts.

If you feel like the fights are too hard for you, please look for a certain hobbit inside there. For a price as low as 3000 gold coins you can get a little horn there. It can be used to summon a little group of hobbit militia to aid you in your fights or to simply distract the enemy.

That being said, PLotR also offers a possibility to form a small group of your own either by having your personalized companion, using such horns or some magic.
Certain classes can craft magic scrolls which allow you to teleport a friend to you, spawn a friendly unit to support you in your fights or summon a spirit that shall guide your character. True life savers!
Some other skills like thievery also allow you to either access secret rooms or steal some stuff from the cities treasures – although it can be deadly punished if you are not careful!

New skills like those mentioned above are usually described by the NPCs in the storylines as you progress further, you learn how to use them that way and so we are not focusing on them here.

From time to time, we are also organizing events usually led by the Wizard Gandalf. It is a good opportunity to take a look at high tier dungeons, feel the roleplay climate and get to know the other players. As mentioned earlier, the teamwork is deadly important here. Please refer to Discord posts for more info about the events.

Coming back to the dungeons though, your main goal there is to get into the boss area, defeat the boss and get the loot.
Let’s answer a few questions that probably come to your mind:

1. How do I find the boss area and how do I kill the boss?
First of all, have a respect towards the boss and do not be a hero! You have to be cautious, fast and figure out a strategy for different type of enemies. For example, trolls are huge enemies and they attack in only one way. However, they can crush through blocks. It is good to lead them into a spot when they cannot hit you efficiently.
In order to deal good damage towards boss enemies it is required to use weapons with either pierce or blunt type of damage. If you are tier 4 class, a mace with 40 blunt damage and above is pretty good for trolls!
The boss areas are usually at the end of dungeons separated by a teleporting door. Some are open areas and so it is easier to lead the enemy into a certain place, possibly easier for you to fight them in.

2. How to loot and how to save the loot I want to pick up later?
Simply access the chest using F key. If you want to save loot for later and avoid it being removed when the respawns happens, put your stuff at the bottom of the chest.

3. What do I do to avoid dungeon respawn?
Dungeon respawns when most usual enemies (less than 15 normal enemies alive, scouts not included!) and ALL boss enemies are dead. It respawns after 8 minutes maximum – if you are lucky. If all enemies are dead it’s best to run. You can eventually leave some alive. Some loot rooms are safe areas, some areas offer so called emergency exits. You should be fine.

In this chapter we shall discuss a few possibilities of opening your inventory.
As you may already know, you are limited to 4 items you can hold in your hands. Some item types, however, allow you to hold more. You can also find props that can be attached to your character such as carts, backpacks and so on.

Whenever you die, you can still loot your character’s inventory. The items previously held in your hands can be found near the body, on the ground. You can also spot a small blood spot like the one shown on the screenshot below. If you tap F12 while looking at it, you can access the armor. It is also one of the ways you can open your inventory.

On some maps you may find a few chests and carts near the spawn. You can use them to store your valuable items if you feel unsafe in the location to avoid losing them eventually like the brave Rhovanion warrior on the pic above.

It is recommended to have a unique strategy for each high tier dungeon as the requirements for entrance into certain areas may differ. For instance, you have to consider the enemy aggroes on you from different distance. Enemy archers will detect you from approximately 25 in game meters, meanwhile the others from 15 meters. Another exclusion are the mounted Ringwraiths as they can detect you even from 70 meters!

In the inventory menu you can change your armor, store your stuff or take it with you on adventure. Remember that almost each storage is temporary, they are not saved in the database and so all are wiped after server resets – unless you got a storage in your own house.

Let’s discuss the importance of engineers and healers during our adventures.

Some higher tiers classes combine different skills. They can fight efficiently and be a support for the other players. Each healer spawns with a surgeon scalpel that can be used to heal other players by hitting them.

However, in some scenarios you may want to heal your friends from a distance, free them from poison and so on. That’s where the alchemy shows its importance.
In certain locations you can find alchemy tables. In order to activate such a table, you have to use a usual healing herb. If you combine it with other resources, you can get a very special result – healing orbs, pots you can throw and poison healing potions.

For example, in order to create a healing orb you need to combine a usual healing herb with Trefoil, Filipendula and Echinacea.
On the other hand, if you want to create a very simple healing potion you only need the usual healing herb combined with an empty vial you can buy just next to the alchemy station.
You can also create a very special Imladris Scalpel here, although it requires rare ingredients such as Quenya scroll, Athelas plate and a surgeon scalpel.
Another example are the antibodies you can use to protect your character against poison for a few minutes. In order to create dreamwine antibodies, you need a bottle of dreamwine and Athelas plate.
Athelas plate can be crafted by combining ordinary healing herb and three pieces of Athelas.

In other locations you can find props that can yet be built which requires a player with engineering skill, a repair hammer and some wood – in any form. If you have all of that on your character, you simply have to hit the box with your repair hammer.
In dungeons the big boxes you can build usually have additional loot chests inside them - a few more quest items for your party.

A good engineer can upgrade his weapons as well using Mithril. It is an ancient technique shared by the dwarves with those they trust. Besides, it can only be done in specialized workshops.
Upgrading your weapon makes it faster, sharper and sometimes allows you to enchant it later on when your character gets access to even more deadly skills…

Mithril ores can be found in Moria and Gundabad. Gundabad is not as dangerous as the Mines of Moria, but there’s less Mithril there obviously. Regarding Moria, you can discover some of its deepest secrets in “Lords of Moria” special questline.

Durin the Deathless – known as such due to his longevity – was the eldest son of the Fathers of the Dwarves, the founder of the city of Khazad-dum and the first King of Durin’s folk.
Our storylines are partly joined by the “Lords of Moria” storyline.
But what are the questlines? What is the point of doing one, how hard are they and what about is the plot?
Middle Earth is a complex world formed by more factions than the ones mentioned earlier. Some minor ones also have their role to play, sometimes in the shadows. A good example here would be the White Council currently formed by the Wizard Gandalf, Elven Lord Elrond, Lady Galadriel and Lord Glorfindel.
Another and completely new example is the Blue Order. It is a strange faction formed in Rhun, not much is known about them besides the fact they have their emissaries sent in the other parts of the Middle Earth. A worthy adventurer can find one of them in the Laketown of Esgaroth.
Of course there are some other minor factions working in the background, like the Warriors Guild in Rohan or the Thieves Guild in Gondor.

Storylines require you to have at least tier 7 character. When you get enough experience and renown, some quests may end up differently than they used to earlier. If you bring a Blade of Morgul to Captain Halbarad in Bree, you may end up getting a very interesting letter.
If you can find the Blue Order emissary in Esgaroth, you can take a part in their trial.
Finally, if you end up working for Eomer or Prince Imrahil, you can be assigned a special task to furtherly investigate Warriors or Thieves Guild.

The first part of the Thieves Guild is basing on so called “Treasure Hunt” and can be completely done by tier 7 character. The others as well, but it would be advised to get a proper equipment beforehand!

Finally, the “Lord of Moria” storyline is based on the events that occurred shortly before the death of Thror and battle of Azanulbizar. It is focused on exploring Moria, Gundabad and the Misty Mountain areas to discover the secrets of Moria and the Durins Bane. In order to start that questline, you either need the White Council storyline finished till its Dol Guldur part or the Blue Order finished till its Erebor part. It is advised to be done by at least tier 8 characters.

There are two different ways of interacting with stockpiles. One can use them to buy a certain item or craft it.
When you look at them, a box pops up explaining what’s the stock count, what is the required skill to craft it, how much it costs and so on. If you wish to buy that item, tap F for a second. In order to buy, your hands have to be empty so always remember to hide your weapon!

If you want to craft a certain item using stockpile, hold F till the shown bar is full. You may end up with a message telling you that your skill is either not high enough or you do not have the required resources. If that happens, you may want to get yourself a book of weapons, book of clothing or a book of armors. Each one contains most recipes for crafting.
You may also find the following page useful: loppen.com/PW/
If you currently have the exact same item from the stockpile in your hands, you can sell it by holding F till the bar is full.

If you happen to have a black box pop up at the top of your screen, hold C till a small box pops up on your right side. When it’s open please click toggle chat overlay in order to turn the box off.
You can find some more useful options there.

If you want to see your equipment any moment, you can hold C again, click discard body armor and the look on the ground. Press F12 or any other key you have assigned in the settings to the select target option.

Also, the other option shown here on the above screenshot allows you to drop money bags or withdraw gold from money chests. If you happen to find a money chest and want to get the gold from it, please press P, select the amount of gold you want to withdraw and click the correct option.

You can give the other players gold the exact same way.

In order to see the chat logs, please use L. It saves all texts from players and the kills. You can obviously use the chat overlays as well as they may turn to be handy sometimes.
Also, if there is a player nearby you may want to use the local chat under Q. The other players located in a bigger distance will not see the texts sent that way.

If there is an admin in game and you want to contact him directly, please tap backspace to open the special chat, although it is usually better to report things directly through a specialized Discord channel.

In most cities one can find a notice board.

They usually lead you to possible quest givers, hidden locations or in general give some valuable intel about the nearby areas. Taking a notice costs as low as 1 gold piece and is a definitely good start to get to know the location – especially if you are very much into roleplay!

As explained in this guide earlier, your character is saved the exact same moment you travel between different servers. Whenever you wish to leave the game, please use the travel prop and then exit the game. Do not worry if the server kicks you out afterwards as it is usual procedure and just confirms you have been correctly saved in the database. Once it is done your character stays saved there till you join the game back either on the server you travelled from or the server you travelled to. The characters are also automatically removed after 4 months unless you save again in the meantime due to limitations of our database.
If you happen to have your character removed, please make a report using one of our Discord channels.

Your gold can be saved in banks whenever you wish. One can find a bank in Bree, Minas Tirith and Dale. If you want to store your gold there, just hold F till the bar is full. On the other hand, if you wish to withdraw gold, tap F for a second.
You can withdraw up to 10,000 gold pieces per tap. The amount you store depends on how much gold you currently have on your character. In order to make the process faster, it stores more if you have above 100,000, above 250,000 and so on.
The gold is stored without limitations and it stays safe in the database.

As it stands there is no items bank, one can only store additional items using special containers in his own house if you own one.